Cultivator



V. GUERRA Y MARRERO- CULTIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG-10, 1920.

Patented NOV. 16, 1920.

a SHEETS-SHEET I.

VfGUEHRA Y MARRERO.

CULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1920.

V. GUERRA Y MARRERO.

CULTIVA TOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I0, 1920.

. Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- PATENT OFFICE.

VICENTE GUERRA Y MARRERO, OF CAIBARIEN, CUBA.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 16, 1920.

Application filed August 10, 1920. Serial No. 402,674.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VICENTE GUERRA Y Mnannno,a subject of the King of Spain, and resident of Caibarien, Cuba, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, of whichthe following is a specifkation.

This invention relates to cultivators; and its object, stated briefly,isto providea machine of the general class or character indicatedembodying various improvements in the construction and arrangement ofthe ground-treating devices and their associated supporting andoperating parts, whereby such devices are caused to effectively dig upthe ground during the progress of the ma' hine and, at the same time. tochop down and remove any weeds which may happen to be in their path.

According to the invention, each of the ground-treating devices (whichterm is intended to cover both the digging or chopping implements properas well as the supporting bars or equivalent elements with which theyare connected) is pivotally re lated to an operating linkage or linksystem which, when actuated, serves to move said device successivelyupward. forward. downward and rearward. so that it travels in asubstantially ellipti"al path which more or less losely ap roximates themovements imparted to su h implements when operated ma uall Theselinkages are actuated individuallv by means of cams mounted on a sleevewh ch, in turn. is looselv fitted on the main shaft or axle of themachine; and improved means I or devices are provided whereby thissleeve may be connected to be driven from a cross-shaft which is itselfdriven from the axle. the driving connectio s preferably in luding seed-increasing g arings and a clutch mech nism for coupling oruncoupling one of the gearings at will. The hopping imp ements areattached to spe ial carriers which are removablv connected to theabove-mentioned supporting bars. so that they may e readily untasrenedto permit the subst tution of one type of chopper or another. or thereplaci g of a damaced part by a new one. and for other purposes of alike character. Special devices are also provided for yieldingly chokingthe upward movements of the supporting bars, so as to avoid possibleinjury due to sudden shocks.

Other and further improvements and advantages are comprised in theinvention, as will presently appear; but it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise structural details of theembodiment thereof represented in the accompanying drawing, but issusceptible of modifications and changes within its scope as hereinafterclaimed. Parts of the invention may also be utilized to the exclusion ofothers and in other and different environments.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved cultivator.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

F ig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of one of the linkages.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on line 44, Fig. 3. of one of thecarriers for the chopping implements.

Fig. 5 is a similar view of the presser device which acts on the carrierbars.

Fig. 6 is a detail view of a modified form of chopper.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 1 indicates the frame orchassis of the machine, which is supported toward its rear end by a pairof ground or traction wheels 2 mounted on the main shaft or axle 3, andat its forward end by a guide wheel 4 carried by a rotatably-mounted,vertical fork 5; the latter being connected to the front beam of thehassis and having se'ured to it a pole or equivalent element 6 to whichthe draft animals are h tched. The wheels 2 are fixed to the'axle torotate the same and are equipped with large sprockets 7 connected bychains 8 wi h relatively-small sprockets 9 fastened to the ends of across-shaft 10 jour aled in the rear portion of the chass s, so that therotation of the axle will thus be tra smitted to said shaft duriner theprogress of the machine. It will be understood. however. that a suita lemotor (not shown) may be mount: ed on the chassis and conne ted to postively drive the main sha t or axle. in which case the pole wi l be omtted and the ma hine eonipped with a steering me hanism of some chacter.

Be ween the two g ound whee s 2 the e is loosely mounted on the sale ahollow shaft or sleeve 11., carrying a set of cams 12, here shown ashaving the form of curved arms, which are spaced laterally from oneanother and are arran ed at equidistant angular inrelatively-smallsprocket fast on the ceniii).

tral portion of the sleeve, theloose sprocket 13 being provided with a'clutch hub 16 for co-action with a clutch member or sleeve 17 keyed toshaft 10 to slide thereon. The sliding clutch member 17 is peripherallygrooved or recessed to permit the engagement therewith of avertical-fork '18 formed on the rear end of an elevated rock shaft 19,which is journaled adjacent its rear end in a vertical bearing bracket20' suitably connected to the chassis, and at its front end in a bearingprovided centrally in a hori zontal cross-bar 21 which bridgesthe upperends of a pair of vertical posts 22 secured centrally to thelongitudinal sidebeams of the chassis. Shaft 19 is rocked manually bymeans of an arm or handle 23 located adjacent its front end.

Slightly in advance of each of the posts 22, there is fixed to theadjacent side beam a second vertical post or bar 24;, which terminatesat its upper end in a toothed se ment 25 for engagement'by a detentcarried by a lever 26; the two levers 26 being fixed at their lower endsto a horizontal rock shaft 27 which is journaled i-n'bearings providedin the lower ends of the posts 24. The shaft 27 carries a pain offorwardlyprojecting arms 2-8, located near its opposite ends andconnected by a cross-bar 29, the

parts 28 and 29 conjointly forming a lifting frame which extendstransversely through the bifurcated forward portions of a set oflongitudinal rocker bars or levers 31. The bifurcations in these barsopen through the front ends thereof, as shown, to receive the'rearwardly-entending arms 32 formed on a set of hollow cylindricalelements 33 to which the ground-treating implements 3 1 are attached, sothat the rocking movements of the bars 31 will cause the cylindricalcarriers 33, and with them the parts 34, to move toward or from theground, as'will be understood. Each carrier 33 has slidably fitted in ita vertical spindle 35, projecting at its lower end through an opening inthe bottom of the carrier, and at its upper end through a correspondingopening in a cap 36; the latter being screwed on the upper end of thecarrier to regulate the pressure of an expansible coil spring 3? disiosed within the carrier in encirclin relation to the spindle and bearingat one enc against the cap and atthe other end against a collar 38 fixedto the lower portion of the spindle. The grounchtreating implement 34may take the form of a hoe-shaped chopping blade (Fig. 1), or it maycomprise a plurality of sharpened teeth 39 (Fig. 6); but in any case itwill be pressed downward toward the ground by the action of itsassociated spring 37 which also serves to cushion the parts againstpossible injury due to sudden shocks. The extensions 32 on thecylindrical carriers are removably engaged in the bifurcatedportions 30of the lifter bars 31, and are retained in place therein by means ofsuitable fasteners "40.

Tonormally hold the'lifter bars in horizontal position and to limit theupward movement of their bifurcated portions the latter are engaged by aset of rollers n. These rollers are carried by a cross-rod 42 whose endsslidably fit in longitudinal slots 43 formed in the lower portions of athird pair of vertical posts 44, which are secured to the side-bars ofthe chassis slightly in of a pair of spaced normally vertical links 47,whose upper ends are joined by a cross pin or roller 48 and areconnected by a pair of similarly spaced diagonal links 49 with a thirdpair of spaced links 50/ The lastm'entioned links are inclined upwardlyand rearwardly, as shown, and are'joined together at their freeupperends by a crosspin or roller 51', their central por ions beingconnected by links 52 with therear portions I of the'lifter barsand'with the lower ends of the first pair of links 47. Each set of linksa7, 49, 50 and 52 is associated with one of the curved cam arms 12 to beactuated thereby, the arrangement being such that the cam operates inthe space between the links and is adapted to act directly against therollers 48 and51; see Fig. 1.

Assuming that all of the parts are in Fig. 2 position'and taking any oneof the came, for example'the upper one, the operations which occurduring the ensuing clockwise rotation of sleeve 11 are substantially asfollows: As the rotation of the sleeve commences, said cam will engageroller 48 on the upper end of links 4c? and will first depress saidlinks and then shift them forward, until at the time the cam reaches theend of its engagement with the roller, links 4:? will have assumed theposition indicated at 47, and links 50 will have assumed that indicatedat 50. The initial downward movement of links 4:7 causes the associatedbar 31 to rock about shaft '27 as a fulcrum, with the result that thefront end of the bar moves upward, carrying with it the cylinder 38 andthe hoe 3d, the latter thus being lifted clear of the ground; the partsultimately assuming the position indicated diagrammatically in dottedlines. As soon as the cam actually disengages roller 48, the linkagesystem rocks in the opposite direction about shaft 27, due in part tothe weight of the cylinder and associated devices and in part to theaction of the presser device a1 and of the cam, which latter thereuponengages the roller 51 carried by the rear links 50; the preceding upwardmovement of the bar and cylinder having been limited by the presserdevice which was forced upward at such time. During this upward orreturn movement of the linkage, the lin is 47 and 50 assume thepositions represented at at?" and 50".

As stated above, the cam, after having disengaged roller 48, moves intoengage ment with roller 51; and it is during the interval between suchdisengagement and engagement that the return movement of the linkage andthe cylinder occurs. During its engagement with roller 51, the cam firstraises links 50 and then shifts them rearward, the upward movement ofthe links continuing the return movement just mentioned and, inconsequence, pressing the hoe into the soil to the required extent. Thesucceeding rearward movement of the linkage has the eifect of pullingthe hoe in the same direction, the speed of such movement being doublethat of the wheels 2, due to the relative proportions of the sprockets7, 9, 13 and 15, so that each active stroke of the hoe will start fromthe precise point where the preceding one stopped. At the completion ofthe rearward movement, the component members of the linkage occupy theirinitial positions, and the cycle is thereafter repeated. The operationof each of the other cams is precisely the same as the one justdescribed.

It will be understood, of course, that the lever 26 is shifted, prior tothe commencement of the cultivating operation, to a position in whichthe frame 2829 connected to rock shaft 27 is depressed, thereby lowering the hoes or blades into operative position; and that said lever issubsequently shifted in the opposite direction, after the completion ofthe cultivating operation, to lift the hoes and connected parts awayfrom the ground.

I claim as my invention 1. In a cultivator, the combination of achassis; an axle journaled therein; traction wheels carried by the axle;a set of groundtreating devices mounted in the chassis to reciprocateendwise forward and backward and to rock up and down; a system of linksfor operating each of said devices and comprising a pair of linksconnected in spaced relation; and an operating cam for each link systemdisposed between the spaced links thereof and adapted to operate one ofsaid links to effect an upward and forward move ment of the associateddevice, and to operate the other link to efiect a downward and rearwardmovement of said device.

2. In a cultivator, the combination of a wheeled frame; a set ofground-treating devices mounted therein and comprising, each, a hollowcarrier, a vertically-movable spindle disposed in the carrier andprojecting through the lower end thereof, a blade attached to the lowerend of the spindle, a presser spring acting on said spindle to normallyforce it downward, and a supporting bar to which said barrier isattached; and means for operating said ground-treating devices.

3. In a cultivator, the combination of a wheeled frame; a set ofground-treating devices mounted therein and comprising, each, alongitudinally slotted supporting bar and a cutting element connectedwith the front end thereof; a cross-piece extending transversely throughthe slots in all of said bars: and set of operating devices, one foreach ground-treating device, for reciprocating said bars endwise forwardand backward and for rocking them up and down about said cross-piece asa fulcrum.

4-. In a cultivator, the combination of a wheeled frame; a set ofground-treating devices mounted therein and comprising, each, alongitudinally slotted supporting bar and a cutting element connectedwith the front end thereof; a cross-piece extending transversely throughthe slots in all of said bars; a system of links for operating eachground-treating device; and an operating element individual o each linksystem for causing the latter to reciprocate the associated bar endwiseforward and backward and to rock it up and down about said cross-pieceas a fulcrum.

5. In a cultivator, the combination of a wheeled frame; a set ofground-treating devices mounted therein to move up and down toward andfrom the ground; and a springpressed element mounted immediately overeach ground-treating device to limit its upward movement.

6. In a cultivator, the combination of a chassis; an axle journaledtherein; traction said axle and said shaft; driving connec- Wheelsmounted on the axle; a set of groundtions between said shaft to saidsleeve; and treating devices mounted in the chassis; a means forthrowing the last-mentioned eon- 10 sleeve revolubly mounted on theaxle; a set nections into and out of action.

1 of operating elements, one for each ground- Signed at city of Habanathis 3rd day of treating device, attached to said sleeve; a August,1920. cross-shaft; driving connections between VICENTE GUERRA y MARRERO.

